Drop-door rigging for hopper-cars.



' c. c. T. WILLSON. DROP DOOR RIGGING FOR HOPPER CARS.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 11 1913. 1,095,443. Patented May-.5, 1914.

' CZ" T h Z'Z' Z @071 G. G. T. WILLSON.'

DROP DOOR RIGGING FOR HOPPER GILES. APPLIOATION FILED JULY 11, 1913'.

Patented May 5, 1914.

3 SHEETS-S3531 2.

I v do I HHHHM G. G. L WELLSON,

DROP DOOR RIGGING FOR HOPPEE. CABS.

APPLIOATIOK rum) JULY 11. 1913.

Pamnted May 5, 191% s snsms sasnr s.

UNITED STATES PATENT .onnion.

cnzsnnns c. r. wInLsoN or ALTCONA, PENNSYLVANIA. v

DROP-DOOR RIGGING FOR HOPPER-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ma 5, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. T. WILL- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Altoona, in the county of Blair, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drop-Door;

Rigging forHopper-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

' exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appjertains to make and use the same.

,with facillty.

A further object ofthe' invention resides in the provision of a drop door rigging whereby the doors on opposite sides of the car may be operated independently of each other, and in which the action of the rigging will be smooth. and without-any tendency to buckle. l

A still further objectof the'invention -re-.

' sidesin the provision of a drop door rigging which. will be simple in construction, ellii Y fully described and p'articularly 'pointed out in the appended claims.

' Indescribing theinvention 1nv detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in which hopper car partly in elevation and partly in section and showing the improv'ed rigging associated therewith; Fig. 2, an enlarged 'sideQe-levation of a fragment of what 1S :shbwn'in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a view slmilar to.

' Figure .1 is a side elevation of a double -Fig. 2 with the'drop doors in open position, Fig. 4, a section on the line H 0t Fig. 2; Fig. -5, asection on the line through the op-- erating'shaft of the rigging; Fig. 6, a section on the-line 6 6 of Fig. 4:; Fig. 7, a

section on the line 88 of Fig. 7; Fig. 9, a.

section'on the line 77 of Fig. 2; Fig. 8, a

side elevation of one of the chutes employed in the rigging and showing the pivoted Application filed m 11, 1913. Serial No. 778,581.

chute bottom in elevated position in full lines and in lowered position in dotted lines, and Fig. 10, a section 0111 the line 10-10- of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings A indicates a double hopper car which includes front and rear hopper sections of corresponding construction and as the drop door rigging employed in connection with one hoppers'ection is identical with the drop door rigging employed with the other hopper section only the rigging associated with the one hopper section Will be described in detail, the reference characters employed in connection therewith being applied to corresponding parts of the drop door rigging associated with the other hopper section of the car. i 3 Referring particularly to the hopper section of the car A the bottom of the car including said hopper section is shown as comprising angular portions 15 and 16. The

angular portion 15 is provided with discharge openings 17 in its lower end, said openings being disposed on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the car A. Likewise the angular portion 16 is provided at its lower end with a pair of discharge openings 18 I disposed respectively in aline-ment with thedischarge openlng 17 in the angular portion 15. The discharge openings 17 are adapted to be opened and closed through the instruinentality of hinged doors 19, while the discharge openings 18 are adapted to be opened and cl ed by hinged doors 20. 7

Depending from the angular portion 15 in position to receive material delivered through the discharge openings 17 are chutes B having an open outer side and a hinged bottom 21 normally held elevated by fastening devices 22 and adapted to rest upon respective rails 23 when the free ends of said bottoms are lowered.

. Depending from the angular port-ion 16 in position to receive material delivered from the discharge openings 18 are chutes C which also have open outer sides and include hinged bottoms respectively normally held elevated by suitable fastening devices 25 and adapted to restupon respective rails 23 when the free ends of the bottoms arelowered.

Connecting the chutes B and C on the same side of the car A are inner and outer beams 27 and 28 and secured against the outer' sides of the chutes B and C on the the ratchet wheel 19 are the squared outer ends 3i and 3-5 of sections ml: and 35 respectively of a shaft 1)., De tachably engaged on the squared outer ends 34: and 35 respectively are throwing arms 38 each provided at one end withan arcuate slot 39 and the remaining portionof said throwing-arm being provided with a plurality of openings 40 adapted to selectively receive the squared outer ends 3% and 35 respectively to vary the throw of the arms 38 during rotation of the shaft sections 34; and 35. Slidably engaged in the slots 39 of the arms 38 respectively are corresponding ends of links 41, the outer ends of the links 41 carrying brackets 12 respectively. Pivotallyconnected to each bracket l2 are ends of links -13 and -14, which latter are pivotally connected at their outer ends to brackets 4:5 and -16 mounted on respective doors 19 and 20 disposed on the same side of the car A, said links extending .through openings 47 and 48 respectively formed in the adjacent walls of the chutes B and C.- The inner end of the section 3i is provided with a squared extension 36, while the inner end of the section 35 is provided with asquared recess 37 adapted to receive the squaredextension 36 whereby the shaft sections 3i and 35 may be locked together for simultaneous rotation. It will be noted that the connections between the throwing arms 38 and the links 11 are suficiently loose to permit requisite longitudinal movement of the sections 3% and 35 to position the extension in and outof the recess 37, wherethe sections 34: and 35 of the shaft D may be connected and disconnected at will.

Each ratchet wheel :9 is provided with a plurality of teeth 50 limited by flanges 51 and 52 and one tooth )3 limited only by the fian e 52 and extending through the flange 51 for a purpose that will presentlyappear. Pivot-ally mounted on each plate 30 is a pawl 5i having a curved upper edge 55. said pawl being adapted for coiiperation with the teeth 50 and of the adjacent ratchet wheel -19 to loci; the shaft sections Illand 35 against rotation in one direction. Pivoted on each plate 3O a lever'56 having a cam shaped lower end 57 adapted for coiiperation withthe curved edge 55 of the pawl 5i. said cooperation being such that when the lever 56 is rocked in one direction movement thereof.

the pawlji will be moved into engagement of the adjacent plate 31 which construction serves to guide the lever 56' and limits the Each lever 56 provided with a notch 59 which is adapted to be engaged by a pawl 60 pivoted on the plate 31, the engagement between said pawl (all and notch :39 being effected when the pawl Si is in engagement with the adjacent ratchet wheel l5) whereby the lever 36 is locked against movement that woitld efi'ect the release of said pawl 5i from engagement with the adjacent ratche wheel 49 Assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. .2 if it is desired to clischdrge the contents on both' sides of the car A it is only necessary to disengage the pawls 60 from the levers 56 on each side of the car and then move said levers to the position shown in Fig. 3 which will disengage the pawls at from respective ratchet wheels 49. The outer end of either shaft section 34: or 35 is then engaged with a suitable tool such as a detachable crank and said shaft SeL'tlULS rotated in unison toward the left in Fig. 2. This rotation of the shaft sections 3i and 3- will swing the arms 38 to the position shown in Fig. 3 when the upper endsof the link 11 will move in the slot 39 under the influence of gravity. The downward movementof the links 4C1 as a result of the movements of the arms 38 will draw the doors 19 and 20 toward each other through the medium of the links a3 and 44; so that material can pass from the interior of the car through the openings 17 and 18 into respective chutes l3 and G from whence it will be discharged upon the ground or into any suitable conveyer, I

If it is desired to discharge material from one side of the car only it is only necessary to disengage the shaft sections 34 and 35 by ,relative longitudinal movement there being suflicient play between the various connected parts to permit this movement of the'shaf't sections. It w1ll be noted in this connection too that when the parts are in the position shown I that the flange 51 of said ratchet wheel will not interfere with the longitudinal 111021;

merit of the desired shaft section.

hat is claimed is 1. In a hopper car the combination of a plurality of'doors for controlling respective discharge openings of the car, individual mechanism for efiecting the. movement of said doors respectlvelyto open and closed positions, and meansfor simultaneously operating said individual mechanisms whereby said doors will be simultaneously moved to open and closed positions.

2. In a hopper car, the combination of a pair of doors disposed on each side of the longitudinal axis of the car for controlling respective discharge openings of the car, individual mechanisms for effecting the movement of each pair of doors disposed on the same side of the longitudinal axis of the car to opened and closed positions, and means for simultaneously opera-ting said individual mechanisms whereby said pairs of doors Will be moved simultaneously toopened and closed positions.

3. In a hopper car, the combination of a pair of doors disposed on each side of the longitudinal axisof the car for controlling respective discharge openings of the car, a

shaft journaled transversely of the car and including a pair of detachably interlocked.

sections adapted to be disengaged from each other by longitudinal movement of one sec tion relative to the other, connections between. said sections and respective pairs of doors for eiiecting the movement of the doors to open and closed position by the rotation of the shaft sections, and means for locking each of saidshaft sections against rotation in one direction to maintain the doors of each pair in closed position.

In testimony whereofil ailix my signature, in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

CHARLES C. T. WILLSON.

lVitnesses ANDREW KIPPLE, H. M. GILL, 

